The present invention is related to the field of clamping processes and, more particularly, to automated clamp opening devices for opening and deploying of hand operated spring clamps.
Many manufacturing processes use spring clamps that must be deployed manually in various operations, such as the gluing together of the parts of an assembly. For instance, during construction of aircraft interiors in the aerospace industry it is not uncommon to need fifteen or thirty hand clamps spaced every couple of inches on an assembly to hold the assembly together during a gluing operation. Once the glue is spread, all of the spring clamps must be placed on the assembly within a couple of minutes due to the short time period required for the glue to dry. A large percentage of workers do not have the hand strength or stamina to install fifteen or thirty hand clamps in rapid succession and with satisfactory results. Clamp removal must also be done quickly and is almost as rigorous a task as clamp placement.
The rigors of the clamping task pose a risk for cumulative trauma injuries to the hand and wrist. Tendinitis of the hand, wrist or forearm may occur, which is an inflammation of the tendons and tendon sheaths. Carpal tunnel syndrome may also occur, which is an inflammation of the flexor tendons of the fingers which pass through a channel on the palmer side of the wrist formed by the carpal bones and the transverse carpal ligament. These flexor tendons become inflamed with repetitive overuse and place pressure on the nearby median nerve. Pressure on the median nerve causes numbness and/or pain in the lower arm. Carpal tunnel syndrome may even result in permanent dysfunction of the hand and wrist.
Despite the drawbacks of manual deployment of hand clamps, there are a lack of alternatives that have the same flexibility and effectiveness as manual clamping processes. Lighter-duty spring clamps are easier to open, but often do not have sufficient force to secure assemblies together during gluing. Dedicated jigs can be used, but are complicated and expensive because the jigs must typically be customized to the different assembly shapes and sizes.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus for opening spring clamps while avoiding possible trauma to the hand and wrist. In addition, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus for opening spring clamps that does not require modification of the spring clamps or the manufacture of customized clamping. It would also be advantageous if the clamps could still be quickly deployed in time-sensitive operations, such as the gluing together of assemblies.
The present invention includes a clamp squeeze apparatus for squeezing a pair of handles of a hand clamp to open a jaw of the hand clamp. The clamp squeeze apparatus includes a pair of fluid pressure driven squeeze jaws for holding and squeezing the handles of a variety of hand clamps. The pair of squeeze jaws are driven by fluid pressure so that operation of the clamp squeeze apparatus does not require significant manual exertion.
In one embodiment, the clamp squeeze apparatus includes a body, a handle, a pair of squeeze jaws and a fluid pressure device. The handle is connected to the body. The pair of squeeze jaws are slidably mounted on the body and slidable in a closing direction and an opening direction. The closing direction advances the jaws together and the opening direction retracts the jaws apart. The fluid pressure device is connected to a fluid pressure supply and is operable to slide the pair of squeeze jaws in the closing direction so as to squeeze a pair of handles of the hand clamp and open the jaws of the hand clamp.
A first one of the pair of squeeze jaws may include a large pocket and a small pocket. The first one of the pair of squeeze jaws is adjustable to move the large and small pockets alternatively into a position facing a second one of said pair of squeeze jaws so that the handles of large and small hand clamps, respectively, fit between the pair of squeeze jaws.
In yet another embodiment, the clamp body includes a slide channel along which a first one of the pair ofjaws is slidable in the opening and closing directions. The fluid pressure device may include a chain and a cylinder. The chain has a first end connected to the first one of the pair ofjaws and a second end connected to the cylinder. The cylinder is actuated by the fluid pressure supply. The chain is slidable along a second channel defined by the body in response to actuation of the cylinder so that the first one of the pair ofjaws slides in the closing direction. In another aspect, a spring urges the pair ofjaws to slide in the opening direction.
The present invention has several advantages. The risk of cumulative hand and wrist trauma from manual deployment of hand clamps is eliminated as the clamp squeeze apparatus can be operated with the pull of a trigger. The squeeze jaws are easily adjustable to allow for the opening of a range of clamp sizes. Thus, the hand clamps do not have to be modified or custom manufactured to be opened by the clamp squeeze apparatus. The hand clamps can also be quickly inserted and removed from the squeeze jaws for rapid deployment during time-sensitive operations, such as the gluing of assemblies.